Handling and swivelling tongs for reels of sheet metal

ABSTRACT

TONGS FOR HANDLING AND SWIVELLING A COIL OF METAL SHEET FROM A VERTICAL TO A HORIZONTAL POSITION AND VICE VERSA, COMPRISE A SUSPENSION ROD WITH AN OPENING FOR A LIFTING HOOK. A SLIDING COLUMN IS MOVED ON AND RELATIVE TO THE SUSPENSION ROD BY HYDRAULIC SUSPENSION JACKS, AND TWO TRIANGLES ARE HINGEDLY MOUNTED AT THE BASE OF THE COLUMN NEAR ONE APEX. VERTICAL TIE RODS ARE PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO THE OTHER TWO CORNERS OF THE TRIANGLES, AND A GRIPPING ELEMENT IS PIVOTALLY MOUNTED AT THE LOWER END OF THE TIE RODS. THE GRIPPING ELEMENT CARRIES A LOCKING JAW FOR LOCKING THE COIL, AND A COMPRESSION SPRING ACTS ON THE LOCKING JAW, WHILE A HYDRAULIC MOTOR IS PROVIDED FOR DISPLACING THE LOCKING JAW AGAINST THE ACTION OF THIS SPRING. A PIVOTING JACK PIVOTS THE TRIANGLES AND THUS SWIVELS THE GRIPPING ELEMENT.

p 1971 s. A. JEAN-MARIE MARTEZLEE 3,506,442

HANDLING AND SWIVELLING TONGS FOR REELS OF" SHEET METAL Filed June 20, 1969 4 SheetsSheet 1 FIE;

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Patented Sept. 20, 1971 Int. Cl. B66c 1/44 US. Cl. 294-88 13 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Tongs for handling and swivelling a coil of metal sheet from a vertical to a horizontal position and vice versa, comprise a suspension rod with an opening for a lifting hook. A sliding column is moved on and relative to the suspension rod by hydraulic suspension jacks, and two triangles are hingedly mounted at the base of the column near one apex. Vertical tie rods are pivotally connected to the other two corners of the triangles, and a gripping element is pivotally mounted at the lower end of the tie rods. The gripping element carries a locking jaw for locking the coil, and a compression spring acts on the locking jaw, while a hydraulic motor is provided for displacing the locking jaw against the action of this spring. A pivoting jack pivots the triangles and thus swivels the gripping element.

The invention relates to handling and swivelling tongs for reels of sheet metal, such tongs being designed for moving reels from a position with their axes vertical into a position with their axes horizontal and vice versa.

For swivelling a reel of sheet metal, either for erecting it, i.e. from moving it for a position with its axis horizontal into a position with its axis vertical, or for laying it down, i.e. the opposite movement, there are already known tongs or clamps, in which the swivelling action is achieved by means of various mechanical or electromechanical devices which require generally a drive by an electric motor, whereby these tongs are dependent on a current supply source. In addition, they have the drawback of being rather bulky, of having a great weight and of requiring a large amount of energy for locking, swivelling and erecting. Moreover, the weight itself limits the useful load which can be handled because the assembly of tongs and load must not exceed a maximum weight permitted for the lifting equipment used for this assembly.

The present invention has the object of eliminating the above-mentioned drawbacks. It comprises a handling and swivelling tongs for moving a reel from a position in which its axis is vertical into a position with axis horizontal and vice versa, characterised in that it comprises a pair of parallelogram linkages with vertical elements, the lower parts of which carry a gripping element with locking means for the reel, and its upper parts of which are suspended in an articulated manner from two apices of two triangles controlling the pivoting, which triangles are, in turn, suspended from their third apices on a column or pillar, connected slidingly with a suspension bar having a lifting hook, by means of hydraulic suspension jacks, connected to an oil tank and to a pressurised oil accumulator which, in accordance with a control, supplies the swivelling jacks for the two triangles which cause the swivelling motion of the gripping member and of the reel and a hydraulic release jack for the locking means.

Preferably, the gripping member suspended from the vertical elements is a hollow part in the shape of a U, of which one leg engages in the core of the reel whilst the other leg carries the locking means formed by a lock- 7 ing jaw adapted to rest on the outermost turn or winding of the reel.

Conveniently, the locking jaw is hinged to one end of a bell crank, mounted in the hollow U-shaped member and fixed on a pivot with variable position located near the elbow, whilst the other end of this bell crank is affected by a compressed spring for locking the jaw, and this compressed spring is acted upon by a hydraulic jack supplied with oil from the accumulator, for releasing the aw.

The invention will be further described merely by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings of one embodiment of the invention.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic side elevation of tongs according to one form of the invention in position on a reel with the axis vertical;

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic side elevation of the tongs of FIG. 1 after swivelling the reel into a position with its axis horizontal;

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic elevation in the direction of the arrow X in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of the lifting mechanism comprising a portion of the invention; and

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of the swivelling mechanism of the invention.

The drawings show only the elements necessary for understanding the invention; moreover, for the sake of clarity these are not shown in all drawings and irrelevant elements have been omitted.

The tongs shown in the drawing comprise a suspension bar 1 in the shape of an inverted T. In its upper part the bar 1 has on opening 1a adapted to receive the hook of lifting apparatus (not shown). The lower part of this bar 1 has claws 1b to which are hinged the ends of rods 2a, 3a of hydraulic jacks 2 and 3, the bodies of which are equipped with spindles 2b, 3b, mounted in bearings 4a of a sliding column 4. This column 4 has vertical grooves not shown, in which the suspension bar 1 is mounted. More particularly, as shown in FIG. 4, column 4 includes two uprights 4b carrying at their upper ends crosspieces 4c in which bearings 4a are disposed.

The lower part of the sliding column 4 has a crossmember 5 (FIGS. 3 and 4) terminating in two trunnions 6 on which two triangles 7 and 8 (FIGS. 2 and 5) are hingedly mounted at a point near one apex. Two vertical tie rods 9 and two vertical tie rods 10 are mounted in an articulated manner at the other two corners of the triangles. To the lower end of the tie rods 9 and 10, a gripping element is mounted by means of pivots 13 and 14; this gripping element consists of a hollow U-shaped part 11, of which one leg 11a enters into the core of the reel 12 to be handled, whilst the end of the other leg 11b carries a locking jaw 21 resting on the outermost turn of the reel. A bell crang 15 (FIG. 1) is located in the hollow part 11 and carries, hinged at 20 at one end 15a, the jaw 21, and has near its elbow a movable pivot 16, the trunnions of which enter into slots 17 in the side walls of the part 11. The pivot 16 is displaced by means of a drive spindle 18, driven in rotation by a hydraulic motor 19, supplied with pressurised oil from an oil accumulator 34 through a conduit 30 and an electrically operated valve 31, and a conduit 32 and leading to an oil tank 33, which is under a low pressure of the order of 5 to 6 kg./cm. The electric valve 31 is controlled by a radio-electric control 31a.

The other end of the bell crank 15 has slides on which rests a compressed spring 23 consisting of a row of resilient discs located a cavity lie in the part 11a. The upper disc of spring 23 bears against the end 22 of arm 15b of crank 15.

A hydraulic jack 24 is supplied with pressurised oil from an accumulator 34 through the conduits 25a, 25b and an electrically operated valve 25 following a radio electric control 26; in this manner, the jack 24 which however is not ordinarily in contact with spring 23, compresses the disc spring 23, and the end 22 of the lever 15 is free so that the pivot 16 can be displaced by the motor 19 to apply the locking jaw 21 to the outer turn of the reel 12.

When the jaw 21 is in this position, the radio-electric control 26 of the electric valve 25 causes the pressurised oil to flow back from the jack 24 into the tank 33. It is to be noted that valve 25 communicates between conduits 25b and 25a, the latter communicating with high pressure accumulator 34, and that valve 25 communicates also with conduit 250 to conduit 32 and tank 33. The spring 23 is released, acts on the end 22 of the lever 15 and pivots the same about the pivot 16; the jaw locks the thickness of the reel strongly against the part 11a so that the reel 12 is clamped tight and may be lifted and transported as required without any risk of loss. When the reel is placed down with its axis vertical it is sufiicient for the pressurised oil to be applied to the jack 24 for compressing the spring 23, which frees the end 22 of the lever 15 so that the jaw 21 no longer locks the reel 12. Then the pivot 16 is moved by the motor 19 and the jaw 21 is lifted ed the reel 12 which is thereby released so that the tongs can be raised.

If the reel locked in the tongs between the jaw 21 and the part 11a is to be pivoted into the position in which the axis is horizontal, as shown in FIG. 2, the pressurised oil is applied from the accumulator 34 to two jacks 27 through conduits 34a and an electrically operated valve 28, responding to a radio electric control 29'. The jacks 27, supplied from the sides opposite their rods, are hinged by their bodies to extensions 9a of the tie rods 9, and by the said rods to the triangles 7 and 8 near the hinge points of the tie rods 10. In this manner the jacks 27 cause a pivoting in an anticlockwise direction of the triangles 7 and 8 and of the gripping member 11 holding the reel 12, which assumes therefore the horizontal position of FIG. 2 and may be deposited in this manner. Then, the tongs are disengaged, as described above, by admitting oil to the jack 24 and supplying the motor 19. The gripping member 11 is returned from the position of FIG. 2 to the starting position of FIG. 1 by pivoting by supplying pressurised oil to the jacks 27, but this time from the side of the rods.

in the tank 33 the oil is placed under a low pressure of the order of to 6 kg./cm. The energy necessary for pivoting the gripping member 11 and for opening the jaw 21 is supplied by the accumulator 34 the oil of which is under-the high pressure used for the suspension jacks 2 and 3. When the tongs are suspended from a hook, the column 4 and the parts mounted thereon descend relative to the suspension rod 1 and the oil in these jacks 2 and 3 on the side remote from the rods is pressed through conduits 35 with non-return valves 35a into the accumulator 34. On the other hand if the tongs are mounted on a foundation, the suspension rod 1 descends relative to the column 4; consequently, the oil from the tank 33 is fed into the jacks 2 and 3 on the side remote from the rods, passing through conduits 37 equipped with valves 37a.

What I claim is:

1. Tongs for handling and swivelling a coil of metal sheet from a vertical into a horizontal position and vice versa comprising a suspension rod with an opening for a lifting hook, a sliding column on said suspension rod, hy-

draulic suspension jacks between said suspension rod and said column, two triangles hingedly mounted at the base of said column near one apex, vertical tie rods articulatedly mounted at the other two corners of said triangles, a gripping element pivotably mounted at the lower end of said tie rods, a locking jaw on said gripping element for locking the coil, a compression spring acting upon said locking jaw, means for displacing said locking jaw against the action of said spring, a pivoting jack for pivoting said triangles and swivelling said gripping element, and means for supplying said pivoting jack with fluid under pressure.

2. Tongs as claimed in claim 1, in which said gripping element is a hollow member of a U-shaped form one leg of which enters the core of the coil.

3. Tongs as claimed in claim 2, and a bell crank mounted on said hollow member on an adjustable pivot located near the corner of said bell crank.

4. Tongs as claimed in claim 3, said bell crank carrying said locking jaw at one end, the other end of said bell crank being subjected to said compression spring against the action of a compression hydraulic jack.

5. Tongs as claimed in claim 4, in which said compression spring comprises resilient discs located in said one leg of said hollow member entering the core of the coil.

6. Tongs as claimed in claim 3, in which said adjustable pivot slides in slots provided in the walls of said gripping element under the action of a drive spindle operated by said displacing means.

7. Tongs as claimed in claim 1, in which said sliding column has a cross member ending with trunnions on which said two triangles are hingedly mounted.

8. Tongs as claimed in claim 7, in which said sliding column has at its upper end a carrying leg having bearings for support trunnions on the bodies of said hydraulic suspension jacks.

9. Tongs as claimed in claim 1, in which said suspension rod has supporting legs at its lower end to which are articulated said hydraulic suspension jacks.

10. Tongs as claimed in claim 1, in which said pivoting jack is hinged to one of said two triangles and to an extension of one of said vertical tie rods.

11. Tongs as claimed in claim 1, and two pivoting jacks hinged respectively to said two triangles and to an extension of said vertical tie rods.

12. Tongs as claimed in claim 1, said displacing means comprising a hydraulic motor for displacing said locking jaw, an oil accumulator for supplying said hydraulic motor with compressed oil, and means forsupplying said pivoting jack with compressed oil from said accumulator.

13. Tongs as claimed in claim 12, and a first radioelectric control and an electric valve for feeding said hydraulic motor from said accumulator, and a second radio-electric control and a second electric valve for feeding said pivoting jack from said accumulator.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,770,380 1 1/ 1956 Anderson 29488 2,974,995 3 1961 Calhoun, I r. 294-10 3 3,264,029 8/ 1966 Bellmann 294-103 EVON C. BLUNK, Primary Examiner J. D. CHERRY, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 2l4--658; 294-103 

